Asus unveils PadFone 2, PadFone Infinity and Fonepad (yes, really)

 

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By Nicole Kobie

Posted on 25 Feb 2013 at 14:34

Asus has unveiled the PadFone 2 and PadFone Infinity at MWC 2013, which will cost £599 and £799 when they arrive in the UK next week.

The PadFone concept uses the Android smartphone to power a tablet.

The updated version, the PadFone 2, features a 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor and 2GB of RAM, and a 4.7in, 1,280 x 720 display. It also comes with a 13-megapixel camera capable of firing 100 shots every six seconds, while simultaneously recording 1080p HD video.

The tablet side, which Asus calls the "station", features a 10.1in, 1080p display and includes an extra battery. Asus promises 16 hours of talk time and 13 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi with the handset alone, doubling that with the extra tablet battery. Alternatively, a fully charged tablet can be used to recharge the phone twice over.

When combined, the two devices weigh 649g and Asus has redesigned the docking system so the devices can be fitted together or taken apart with "one swift step".

The PadFone 2 lands in the UK in late March for £599, with pre-orders starting Friday.

PadFone Infinity

The PadFone Infinity is a step up, with a quad-core 1.7GHz processor, 64GB of storage, and support for up to 100Mbits/sec LTE. It's built from what Asus describes as "aerospace-grade aluminimum" and also features the 13-megapixel camera.

The PadFone Infinity smartphone offers up to 19 hours of battery life for calls, doubling that when docked in the Infinity Station tablet, which also offers a Full HD resolution on a 10.1in screen.

The PadFone Infinity will cost £799 in the UK, but the release date wasn't revealed yet.

Fonepad

Just to confuse the hell out of everybody, Asus also showed off its 7in, 1,280 x 800 Fonepad tablet. The Fonepad features voice-calling capabilities, hence the name.

The Fonepad runs on an Atom Z2420 processor, with storage starting at 16GB, which is expandable from the SD card slot.

The Fonepad will arrive in the UK at the end of the second quarter, with prices starting from £179 - for more, read our first-look review of the Fonepad.

The other tablet releases from Asus at MWC include the new MeMO Pad tablet range, including the ME301T, a 10.1in Android tablet for £249, and the 7in ME172V for £129.